Puzzling thoughts: This is the LA Times solo debut for today's constructor, but Brooke Husic is no stranger to Crossword puzzles, nor the LAT. We saw her this past Saturday, if you recall. She is a computational chemist who creates crosswords for The New Yorker, The New York Times, USA TODAY, and a variety of “indie” platforms. She edits puzzles at Inkubator Crosswords and The American Values Club and co-hosts the Crossnerds podcast. She and Natan Last also host a "Creating Crossword Puzzles" workshop. See the example of the puzzle they created in their May workshop
Despite her reputation in the Crossword community, this may be the first of hers that I've solved, as I was unable to look at the one that Gary recapped.
Hope she stops by to either read the comments and/or offer some of her own
As the "theme" suggests, today's puzzle deletes the letter "C" from the entry, and is solved through a series of starred, wordplay clues. For example:
21-across. *What an eager newlywed requests from a wedding photographer?: (C) ALL THE SHOTS. Of the four entries this one (for me) was the weakest28-across. *Poem dedicated to a computer chip?: BINARY (C) ODE.
43-across. *Band gear only used in the warmest months?: SUMMER (C) AMP.
50-across. *Reason for roadwork?: (C) OLD SHOULDER. This was my favorite of the four
Brooke even left some room for the reveal (in the bottom right corner): 66-across. Show the door, and a phonetic hint for the answers to the starred clues: SEE (C) OUT. As an editor herself, I wonder how she, Patti, and Christina got along as this one evolved from concept to publication?
Here's the grid and the rest of the clues/entries:
Across:
1. Jesmyn Ward's "Men We Reaped," for one: MEMOIR. Not familiar with the author nor the book/MEMOIR; neither was my partner, Margaret. But there was help from the perpendiculars ... And soon after, 16-across showed up, clued as "American Street" author __ Zoboi: IBI. [See my comment for 1-across]
7. Kraków native: POLE. Moe-ku/haiku/Senryu:
The burlesque star is
From Kraków. She is a true,
Home-grown POLE dancer
11. Soccer star Hamm: MIA. Remember several blogs ago when I thought that MIA Hamm was the one who showed off her sports bra in the Summer Olympics?
14. Grand Marnier flavor: ORANGE. [Grahnd Mahr-knee-eh'] This used to be one of the Chairman's favorite liquers. Grand Marnier is a visionary blend of fine cognac and bitter orange-flavored liqueur. Explore their history, products, and cocktails on the official website
15. Verb in a risotto recipe: STIR. The risotto reference lead me to thinking about what the Italian word for STIR is? It's mescolare
17. Form a queue: LINE UP. When I first read the clue, I was thinking, "Draw a circle and add a little hook to the bottom edge??" [Q]
Moe-'lick/Limerick:
What prevails among TSA views
Are those actions you carefully choose.
You don't want to attract
More attention; just act
Like adult. Mind your peace and our QUEUEs
18. Buckwheat noodle: SOBA. Margaret is a "nouveau vegan" and knew of SOBA. Thanks, sweetie!
19. Zoomer's parent, maybe: X'ER. Does Zoomer mean "one who uses Zoom"? Not hip to that phrase. But if so, I have used Zoom and my Mom is certainly NOT a Gen X'er. Or, maybe I missed the gist of this clue entirely
20. "Mudbound" director Rees: DEE. I would've added this to 1 and 16-across; I need to get out more
24. Actress Taylor-Joy: ANYA. Known to me from her role in Queen's Gambit, but I'll be damned if I remembered her name. More perps to the rescue
25. Genuine: REAL.
26. Chapati flour: ATTA. [From bbc.co.uk/food] "Pale-brown in colour and gritty in texture, chapati flour is finely milled wholewheat flour, also known as 'atta'.' Chapatis. by Manju Malhi. Chapatis can be reheated but they're best cooked fresh. You could also spread your favourite pickle or chutney over them and roll them into tortilla shapes."
OK, Margaret didn't know this one, so I couldn't give her an "ATTA girl"
33. "Vice" Oscar nominee: ADAMS. Whatever happened to clues like, "Get Smart" actor, Don?
34. Complete collections: SETS. They're valuable, I've been told. Rumor has it that our Monday blogger Boomer has several SETS of baseball cards ...
35. "Well, gosh!": GEE. An easy clue. "Well, gosh!"
36. Petty gripes: NITS. What we Crossword Corner-ites have expressed, occasionally, about the puzzles and/or clues we encounter
37. All-out brawl: MELEE.
39. Tzatziki herb: DILL.
40. Simple top: TEE.
41. Ramírez who plays Che on "And Just Like That ... ": SARA. Why not "Frozen dessert maker, Lee?" Because, we have to learn all of the new actors and authors and so on ...
42. Uses a microfiber cloth: DUSTS. A handkerchief works for me
46. Blues guitarist Baker: ETTA. Has she accompanied blues singer James?
47. Info on a political rival: OPPO. Crossword Tracker's history of this word:
48. Jittery: EDGY. What we bloggers might get if we wait until the last minute to do our recaps
54. Psychic ability: ESP. Or alternately clued: "What helped me solve 1-across and 16-across, according to the acronyms used at the Crossword Corner?" Every Single Perpendicular
57. Zendaya's "Euphoria" role: RUE. [per Wikipedia] "Euphoria is an American teen drama television series created and principally written by Sam Levinson for HBO and based on the Israeli miniseries of the same name created by Ron Leshem and Daphna Levin."
Well that alone made it an unknown for me, as I don't subscribe to HBO nor am a fan of teen drama TV. But I am attaching the trailer for those interested in seeing what it's about
58. Not fooled by: ONTO. Hey editors: We are ONTO your tactics of taking simple word entries and making them difficult to solve, by associating their clues with a proper name. You'll RUE the day you decided to do this, LOL!!
59. Lithuania neighbor: LATVIA. I think POLAND is the only other 6-letter country that borders Lithuania
61. Snack __: BAR.
62. Bring up: REAR. It's a lot different REARing a child in today's world ...
63. Hits the books and rings a bell: IDIOMS. Not my work, but a couple of jokes that use IDIOMS for their punchline:
A church's bell ringer passed away. So they posted the position and a man came in with no arms wanting the job. The clergy weren't sure he could do it, but he convinced them to let him try it. They climbed the bell tower and the guy ran toward the bell and hit it with his head. They gave him the job. The next day he went to ring the bell, tripped, bounced off the bell and fell to the sidewalk below. Two guys were walking past. One asked, "Do you know this guy?" The second guy responded, "No, but his face rings a bell."
The next day, the deceased bell ringer's twin brother comes in for the again vacant bell ringer position. He also has no arms. They lead him up to the bell tower, he runs at the bell, trips and falls to the sidewalk below. The same two guys walk by. The first asks, "Do you know him?" The second guy responds, "No, but he's a dead ringer for the guy we saw yesterday."
64. One rising at dawn: SUN. MOE fits! And I do (rise at dawn, that is)
65. Condition underdiagnosed in girls: Abbr.: ADHD. A-D/HD stands for: Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. [from Verywell Mind dot com]: "ADHD symptoms in girls are often viewed as character traits rather than symptoms of a condition. For example, a girl might be described as spacey, forgetful, or chatty. Later in life, a woman might reach out for help for her symptoms, only to be diagnosed with depression or anxiety instead"
Down:
1. Shaping aid: MOLD. Anybody recall these?
2. Pelee Island's lake: ERIE. Pelee Island is on the Canadian side of Lake ERIE, for those unaware. And speaking of Canada, and Canadian wineries, here's a question: What is Canada's largest winery? Why, at over 700 acres of vineyards, Pelee Island Winery is the largest private estate winery in Canada. Fun Fact #1
3. Pride of lions: MANE. Wordplay alert!! This one actually came to me right away. Helps to be a punster, sometimes
4. Single: ONE. Dual meaning: A single could mean just ONE person; or it could mean a ONE dollar bill
5. Rainforest lizards: IGUANAS. Another simple clue for a Friday. What else could fit?
6. Get back (to): REPLY. You should've seen the email thread when Anonymous T was welcomed into our blogger fraternity. There were over 20 REPLYs [sic]
7. Quiet "Over here": "PSST". I said this to Margaret recently (when I entered a room and she didn't see or hear me). Scared the bejeezus out of her
8. Short "And yet ... ": OTOH. Short, meaning an abbreviation
9. Set free: LIBERATE. Another easy Friday fill
10. Pencil toppers: ERASERS. They recently started adding these to the small pencils you get at a golf course. Never trust a golf scorecard with erasures
11. Person with a spiritual calling?: MIXOLOGIST. Now we're talking! Right up my alley! I was a MIXOLOGIST (aka, bartender) for one of my last part time jobs. I knew how and where to use Grand Marnier
12. "Wow, no doubt": I BET. If you drew quads (4 of a kind) in Texas Hold 'em poker, you'd certainly BET. This is a 20 minute+ video, but the first clip in the QUEUE is pretty insane
13. Runs on TV: AIRS. Easy
22. Chem class: LAB. Easy
23. Bale contents: HAY. Very easy. Is this a Friday puzzle??
24. Places for taking notes?: ATMS. Excellent wordplay clue. This threw me off at first
26. "Farewell": ADIEU. ADIEU was/is a word that many players use to begin their guesses at WORDLE as it uses 4 of the 5 vowels
27. Art gallery on the Thames: TATE MODERN. Learning experience for me; [tate.org.uk] "Tate is a family of four art galleries in London, Liverpool and Cornwall known as Tate Modern, Tate Britain, Tate Liverpool and Tate St Ives"
29. Imam's faith: ISLAM. Easy
30. Born: NEE. Easy
31. Faucet brand: DELTA. Moe-ku/haiku/senryu #3
Faucet replacement
Caused grief, at first. They cried!
"Don't Moen, it's DELTA!
32. Long fish: EELS.
33. Farm insects: ANTS. Odd clue, but it fits
37. Stranded: MAROONED. Moe-ku/haiku/senryu #4
Stranded artist found
It ironic when she was
MAROONED with maroon
38. Time piece: ERA. WATCH, CLOCK, SUNDIAL - none of these fit
39. Obligation: DUTY.
41. Chain with a Beauty Insider rewards program: SEPHORA. This
42. Break down chemically: DEGRADE. "RUST" was too short
44. Can. elected officials: MPS. MemberS of Parliament. CSO to CanadianEh!
45. Disposable sock: PED. Does anyone actually use these when trying on shoes?
49. Where to get counter offers?: DELIS. More wordplay in the clue. DELIS are known to have a counter (for ordering cold cuts, etc), and I guess the clerks there can provide you with an offer or two
50. Spheres: ORBS. Another easy clue
51. Tropical party: LUAU. And yet, another easy clue
52. Park City's state: UTAH. Seems the easy clues come in threes, today
53. Noble title: LORD. EARL also fits
54. Cruet filler: Abbr.: EVOO. I tried WINE at first and then saw the perps
55. Liu who plays the superhero Shang-Chi: SIMU. Total unknown. LUCY was my first guess
56. Kind of tense: PAST. Present and future are two others
60. Hair __: TIE. CUT fit, but was incorrect
Overall, a good puzzle, but not Friday worthy, IMO. But I doubt this will be the last puzzle we see from Brooke Husic. I'm looking forward to your comments...
52 comments:
Speaking of ESP, many of the proper names, such as “Ibi” and “Simu”as well as a few other words such as “Atts” were only attainable to me by that process. I did get the sense of the gimmick early on, though , which helped me to ultimately be able to solve this very difficult puzzle.?.FIR, so I’m not only happy, I’m relieved!
I notice an extraneous “?” has crept into my comments. It’s not a reference to the puzzle, but it certainly could have been.
Took me a minute to spot my mistake (I had I SEE instead of I BET, DNK IBI, and SHOES felt very wrong, but after re-reading the clue I got SHOTS). But yes, this didn't feel very Friday-like. And this is from the same constructor who co-authored last Saturday's puzzle, with that brutal NE corner.
I flew through the NW. I understood what kind of "counter" the 49D clue was referring to but it still felt vague and I needed a few perps to get the answer. The IDIOMS and ATMS clues got me (exactly what I'd expect from a Friday puzzle!), though I definitely have seen that trick with "notes" a bunch of times. ATTA is new to me with that clue, and I don't think I've ever seen OPPO.
DNF. Got stuck in the far west. OLMOS instead of ADAMS and that whole area just wouldn’t click. After 30 minutes, I had most of the CW done but just could not get past my error.
Good morning!
C-Moe may think this was too easy. Not d-o. He made a couple of stupid errors and wound up with a DNF [See Anonymous above]. Thanx, Brooke and C-Moe. (Zoomer's are members of Gen-Z. Russia is another 6-letter country abutting Lithuania -- that little piece that contains Kaliningrad.)
Very easy Friday, meaning that even I was lucky enough to FIR, albeit with lucky wags at SEPHORA x SARA and OPPO. Also DNK MEMOIR, IBI, DEE, ANYA (Victor's sister on Mom played by Rhea Perlman), ADAMS, RUE, and SIMU. If OPPO is hipspeak for OPPONENT, is SIMU hipspeak for SIMULCAST?
DELTA again, this time plumbing. I may have mentioned that the guy who sprayed the lacquer on my restored 1926 Kranich and Bach piano has a day job as a painter for DELTA Airlines.
I would like to say that I enjoyed this one immensely, but my mother taught me not to lie. Way too much with-it showbiz stuff for my taste. But thanks to C-Moe for the insights and humor.
Nine names in across clues. I knew of two. Thought the rest of the puzzle was relatively easy. Simu Liu later…
I finished this _rossword in 9:19, wholly missing the theme.
Did not know: Dee, atta, Sara, the memoir or the author, Ibi (?), Rue, ped, or MPs.
I don't care for "mane" for "Pride of lions". I get the pun, but not only does it seem forced (do we know that lions have that type of pride? And if so, do they take pride in their hair?), but the plural of lions implies it should be "manes".
I liked the "mixologist" clue.
DNF. Mixologist and ATMs just wouldn't come to me, and the perps were of no help.
Agree with above comments on so many names. Also, Tzatziki is a gratuitously obscure clue for "DILL", "pickle herb" would have been quicker.
Nice construction Brooke that I IFR and we know that Patti (C)ALLS THE SHOTS but these puzzles are getting some weird words and too many proper names. It was a slow start in the NW with only ORANGE and INGUANAS initially; then I noticed the SEE OUT at SUMMER AMP and was "off to the races" (IDIOM). OPPO, ATTA, & PED are new to me. ANYA, ADAMS, SARA, ETTA, SIMU, IBI, DEE, & RUE were filled by perps. MEMOIR & XER were WAGs.
The MIXOLOGIST works at A BAR OTHER than the Snack BAR.
I only knew SEPHORA because DW bought something at a NYC store and returned it to the store in NOLA.
DELTA- all the plumbing in my house is Delta. After you get the hang of changing the gaskets with springs it's a "piece of cake". Had to get another IDIOM in there.
DEGRADE- rust was too short and decompose was too long.
ADIEU for now.
I'm sorry, folks, but, unlike many others here, I didn't find this puzzle particularly easy. There were lots of opportunities to go wrong, and it was only through P&P that I managed to make it though the puzzle okay. FWIW.
With all the WAGs I was bound to miss one:tARA/tEPHORA. I groked IDIOMS 10 minutes ago. The perps were friendly to the UNKs. FIW
I see lots of NITS in earlier posts. My take? A relatively easy xword with naticks, pop-cul and a few difficult clues(tzatziki). The long clues like MIXOLOGIST,TATE MODERN. were gettable and provided ample perps.
I liked the IDIOMS clue
WC
Too many proper names.I count at least 22. Atta, Anya, and Adam's coming together left me cold. I don't understand 8 down otoh ?
On The Other Hand = OTOH
Change the meaning by adding a invisible C. Although I missed the reveal: SEE(C)PUT....Otherwise a great leap forward from the easier puzzles this week.
Inkovers: dirt/UP, Ohio/UTAH, letOUT/SEE, TATEmuseum/MODERN, net/TIE
Wanted to try JON for "Hamm". (Hey maybe he played soccer ⚽️ between seasons of "Mad Men") Shouldn't it be herb in a risotto recipe..😄. ANT farm insects, last time they were "critters" I watched "Euphoria" cuz of it's high ratings. Alls I can say is with so much sex, drugs, booze and partying when do these HS kids do their homework? 😲
Author Zoboi? Ward? director Reese? Chapati? Ramirez/Che? OPPO? SIMU? ..Sheesh (or rather, Gee)
Phyllis DILLer: "I'm a terrible housekeeper once a year I report a robbery and a cop DUSTS for fingerprints."
Like I said yesterday, once ground down we useta bite the metal to get more ERASER.
Not inebriated in Boston....SOBA
Diligently work a trade again...REPLY
Without further ____ I bid you farewellL
...ADIEU
member of a native American tribe...OTOH.
Israel Padilla, recently blogger, is from Mexico I see, so we have friends from both north and south of the border. A truly international crowd 😁
Musings
-Obscure names are the new hallmark of the new LA Times puzzles but crosses worked
-The clever cluing and fun theme were entertaining
-Have you ever stood in a queue so long that what was at the end was never going to be worth it?
-Every campaign has someone doing (or manufacturing) OPPO research
-I’ll see your obscure name and raise you an obscure clue for ERIE and DILL. What’s next, “Treat owned by Mondelez International: OREO?
-I sent a text to an old friend living in Mexico a week ago. His REPLY was to call me while I was hip deep in a group of 7th graders while subbing yesterday. What a hoot!
-Besides HAY and straw, farmers now put cornstalks in huge round bales for feed supplement and animal bedding
-Kohls, my DW’s favorite store, has given over thousands of sq ft in its stores to SEPHORA
-Nice job, Chairman.
While I enjoyed the Theme, and especially pride of lions/mane and places to take notes/ATMs, I found the fill to be painfully convoluted, and no fun at all.
Sorry to be so negative, but resorting to multiple alphabet runs just to finish a puzzle is no fun at all...
I can "C" one or two Naticks as sometimes being a necessary evil, but MPS crossing OPPO? Really?
Thanks for splainin' but I'm glad it's over...
Above was found looking for "C" out silly links. I also tried "usher out/in" but I never heard of this "usher" person that came up. So I tried "aisles" for some painfully convoluted reason, but it did return this, which you might find amusing...
I'm outta here...
Thank goodness for perps and WAGS or this puzzle would have been half blank. So many proper names I didn’t know, they didn’t even ring a bell. DNF because of NE.I did get the theme quickly though. To me the puzzle was too uneven: either easy clues or a lineup of proper names. I’ll have a glass of Grand Marnier and see myself out.
Have a great weekend everyone.
Thought I FIR, easy for a Friday. Alas! Although I am quite familiar with Sephora, today Zephora stuck in my mind and I thought ZARA might be another odd name. Drat! Still liked the puzzle. The theme helped greatly.
Mane for pride of lions was my favorite.
Grand Marnier is delicious over sliced fresh strawberries or ice cream. Amaretta, too.
Can't constructors and Patti think of enough words that aren't proper nouns? Do these people check back to see our aversion to proper nouns. Even when the names are known to me, I would prefer common nouns.
CED, thanks for the laugh out loud selection.
Thank you Brooke for a real Friday struggle. Although I got all the themers and the reveal, at several points I was tempted to TITT and settle for a DNF. But I was determined to finish, just to come here and describe a remarkable coincidence between IRL and Cornerland: for that see 31D. Anyway something equally remarkable happened on the way: I ended up with a FIR.
Thank you MOE for another informative review, for all the Moe-ku/haiku/senryus (what's a SENRYU?), and for all the NYUK, NYUKs (get ready for another one next week).
Some favs:
11A MIA. I don't remember. Did she?
15A STIR. Google translates it as MIX, as in MIXOLOGIST. Shouldn't it be SHAKEN?
6D REPLY. Be prepared for a little blow back on that one from MB & CAT!
27D TATE MODERN. Londoners just call it the TATE. I went there just to see the William Blake engravings, and they are definitely not MODERN.
31D DELTA. Not ten minutes after replacing a shower head with a DELTA faucet, I came down stairs and replaced 5 blank squares with the word DELTA. Spooky!
33D ANTS. We had this last week and someone complained that there are lots of other "critters" on a farm. But only ANTS live in ANT FARMS.
44D MPS. This held me up until I realized that they don't have Ministers ("MIN") of Parliament, but rather "Members" (no hoity-toity LORDS for our Northern neighbors).
Cheers,
Bill
Puzzling thoughts, my comments!
I solved this puzzle and wrote the recap several days ago, so my comment to MalMan yesterday that this one wasn't too difficult was probably spot on. There are definitely days when a puzzle doesn't hit me as easy. As my comments indicated, too many proper names for my liking but that seems to be the norm for crossword puzzles in the 2020's
DO @ 5:49 --> thanks for the explanation about Zoomers, and pointing out the little sliver of Russia that abuts Lithuania
HG @ 10:09 --> you wrote: "What’s next, “Treat owned by Mondelez International: OREO?" Please don't give Patti any new ideas!! ;^)
Bill @ 11:03 --> MIA? No, it was Brandi Chastain (sp?).
Shaken versus STIR as a MIXOLOGIST? Definitely if your last name is Bond.
?? on the 6D comment ...
SENRYU, defined
CrossEyedDave --> funny link
Enjoyed the humorous clues for the C-out answers. Appropriate to have C-Moe blog - although I guess that a SEE IN puzzle would be better for him! I didn't know some of the names - but perps came to the rescue.
Slight slow down not knowing where Pelee Island is - sounded Polynesian- before the Crossword lake mascot ERIE.
I also wanted TATE museum before MODERN- but waited for perps to find out which one.
The first fill for me on 11D was OLOGI- so wanted something like theologian even though with the question mark it was not going to be a straightforward answer. MIXOLOGIST end up as one of my favorite answers.
I really like Amy ADAMS' work as an actress - like Meryl Streep she immerses herself in her roles which are all very different. She unfortunately has been catching up with Glenn Close's 8 with 6 Academy Awards nominations without a win.
Thanks CM and Brooke!
Oh and I love Taztziki dip/sauce - refreshing and flavorful counter taste to Greek/Middle Eastern foods. Here is a link to 20 (!) dishes it can accompany - it's really easy to make
https://borrowedbites.com/what-to-eat-with-tzatziki/
Hi Y'all! Who said yesterday this wasn't hard! Fake news, pal! Thanks, Moe, for 'splainin' stuff.
A lot of annoying names & unknowns. Did not get the theme. Reveal is so misleading with a word SEE not beginning with a "C". NIT NIT NIT. Filled it in 33:24, feeling cranky throughout.
Some of these constructors are so involved with cwds that they loose all practical sense of what normal people will know. None of today's unknowns are anything I want to learn & remember except Pelee Island.
I hate half measures, especially done like this.
No. What we need in this new era is a crossword made up entirely of proper names from shows you never watched or even heard of or would ever watch if you had heard of them.
I recall a non-stop to Amsterdam back in the '80s. They were serving complimentary cocktails in Business Class. Ken, a member of our party (though we tried not to acknowledge him), said "I'm gonna have me some of that Grand Mariner."
Tough Friday puzzle--but Friday one's are supposed to be tough. So, many thanks, Brooke. And thank you too, Moe, for your helpful commentary.
Well, MEMOIR suggested a writing theme in this puzzle, with some ERASERS handy. I don't know--did we get any IDIOMS? Nope, we were pretty much MAROONED, if you ask me.
Any SUMMER parties? Maybe a LUAU? Wouldn't it be cool if it were set on Lake ERIE--or maybe in UTAH? Better than LATVIA, I suppose. I bet they'd serve ORANGE juice, and a salad with some DILL sprinkled on top. Hope we don't get any ANTS bothering us, as we sit on the grass. At least the EELS will leave us alone.
Well, time to say ADIEU. You don't have to SEE me OUT--I can make it on my own.
Have a great weekend, everybody.
Heres the hot link to Inane Hikers Tzatziki Sauce Recipe.
Thanks I.H. The perfect way out of my grumpiness is thru my stomach!
Although, it lists too many things Tzatziki can go with. My 1st thought upon opening the site is Emeril saying, "you can put it on a bumper & it will taste good!"
The only problem is that i like eating more than cooking.
take for instance, my 2nd fav, Baba Ghanoush...
to make this stuff at home used to require salting and sweating the eggplant to remove bitterness. but Food Wishes says that if you learn the Birds & the Bees of Eggplants you can skip this step. See DotsNotSlots...
easier yet, Rumaki!
Wrap bacon around a salty sweet water chestnut!
The original recipe i believe uses (Chicken Livers?)
but you can wrap bacon around anything, cheese stuffed Jalepenos comes to mind.
(Come to think of it, you could wrap bacon around a car bumper & i wouldnt complain...)
hmm,
if only you could bacon wrap a crossword puzzle...
hmm,
just an aside to CC, (et al)
Could it be possible?
Words for bacon all around the puzzle perimeter, with the center reveal, "wrapped in bacon." hmm, 14 letters. wrapping in bacon?
and, of course, we need some tasty fill...
Hi All!
Brooke beat me 2x... she got me at sARA and ID_O_S. DNF :-(
Thanks for the puzzle Brooke.
Thanks for the wonderful expo, C.Moe. I enjoyed the Mel Blanc "C" sketch and Kus.
WOs: obligation ≠ debt, ArMs seemed a good idea for note-taking (something up your sleeve at exam-time) before ABC-run got me to T
ESPs: ESFN (Every Single Flippin' Name) save MIA //I'll check later if my Gen-Z kids (now in their 20s!?!) know any of them
Fav: MIXOLOGIST is fun
14a) ___ Crush -- ORANGE would be a Gen-X / fan of REM c/a
PVX - inre names: There are so many spellings of them! -- and post-Boomer parents that just made up new names -- that it feels like a constructor's crutch. Note: I'm NOT diss'n Brooke!
I've just noticed that, in attempts to solo-construct, odd names come up.
I figure, if I have to Google who that is, I'm not using it (unless the All-Knowing gives me back a familiar face).
//this might explain why I've never had a solo. That and I seem to always 'paint myself into a corner' #IDIOM.
Perhaps all these names are on the tip of Brooke's tongue.
LOL _rossword, Speedy. ibid SOBA in Boston too, Ray-O
BillO - last night at the hacker-meetup, one of the guys got a gyro w/ too much Tzatziki... It took three of us to come-up with the right word (we were drinking). So, it was fresh-of-mind this morning ;-)
PK - your penultimate line is exactly how I feel about some 'younger' constructors. It's like when I have to remember I'm not talking to other nerds and need to stop using 'in'-words [wait, that sounds wrong ;-)].
YR - Have you tried Kahlua over vanilla ice-cream?
DO - LOL "Grand Mariner"
HG - Heck yeah! At baseball games. The beer queue is sometimes just not worth missing the top-half.
I just wasted so much time LOL'ing at aisles link, CED. Thx.
Misty - I don't know if you saw my post from a while back... DW found your Joyce's Dubliners book on my shelf. She took a snap and texted her English-major friends a subtitle something about me being extra-sexy for having/reading it. Thank you! :-)
Cheers, -T
A question of ethics: If Google is used to answer a clue, does it require a DNF?
How about a WAG that got am answer?
ProfM - crosswords are like golf, you're playing yourself.
For me, and these are only my personal rules, any outside help (occasionally excluding spelling #cheat) is a DNF. If I had to look it up, I didn't know enough perps to make things WAGable. WAGs are fair - we lucked out ;-)
That being said, some folks use 'red-letter' help and still FIR by their rules.
My $0.02. -T
D-O, but did Ken follow it up with some of them thar horse dee'ovaries?
CED - Great signs. I have a bottle of "Ass in the Tub" hot sauce. The name refers not to its origin, but what happens if you consume too much. I also have a picture of a menu offering UNLIMITED SOUP AND SALAD, with small print below saying (includes one serving).
-T, I score myself as you do, but I agree with the golf analogy - just tell me the number and I'll write it down. I used to play with a guy who remembered the number of shots all four players had on the hole, and would challenge anyone who didn't report his number. We were all duffers, and weren't playing for money.
ProfMeritus
I'd say that if a WAG ends up being correct, you most certainly FinishedItRight (FIR). As for looking up (googling) an answer, again, if it's what's needed to solve the puzzle then so be it. As -T said, it's just you doing it for fun and amusement. Now if this were a timed crossword solving contest, that's a different issue
I don't know if you have seen some of my recent blogs (I do every other Friday), but I've now resorted to calling myself out when I can't figure out a word(s). And I get an answer sheet!!
Moe
I would never order Tzatziki sauce cuz I coudn't pronouce it..
😆
A fine Friday PZL from Brooke Husic, well explicated by Chairman Moe.
I always enjoy a solvable Friday XWD, and this was a pleasure all the way through. Only the SE corner gave me any pauses.
nice to see an ETTA clue that did not mention Ms. James.
~ OMK
____________
DR: One diagonal, far side.
Its anagram (13 of 15 letters) may be a sly response to today's 1D fill.
It seems to be the desire of every runway model, who-- unhappy with Nature's endowment--enters the office of a cosmetic surgeon.
"Please sir, I hope I have a...
SHAPEABLE ARSE"!
Hola!
It's late though I solved the puzzle as soon as I was up then had to go to the nail salon for an early appointment. Thank you, Brooke and CMoe!
It was easy for a Friday, IMO, except for unknowns SIMU, IBI and ATTA which were solved by perps. OPPO? Why can't people say the whole word?
To me, IBI is Latin for "there".
I did like the puns with missing Cs. I know EVOO only from occasionally watching Rachel Ray.
My granddaughter loves SEPHORA. Her birthday is Sunday and a good occasion to buy her some products from there. She was six when 9/11 happened but has since realized its significance.
Have a fantastic Friday, everyone! All day yesterday I thought it was Friday(?).
My apologies !
To anyone who finds my footnote DR ("Diagonal Report," above @3:18) overly vulgar.
I did not mean to offend, only to stir a little light-hearted response to one of today's... er, vanities.
~ OMK
FIW due to the ATrA/ArMs crossing. When you cannot find a sheet of paper, you might write a note on your arm, right?
I liked the theme and some of the clever wordplay clues (spiritual calling, counter offers, kind of tense) but, IMHO, the cleverness seems to stop at names not yet established in the cultural knowledge bank. Such entries take time & repeated accomplishment. To that effort, DH and I are still trying to point out WEIRD FLEX BUT OK(s) when we see them. We've been having a lot of fun with that!
Mer_i, C-Moe!
ADIEU!
CrossEyedDave: thank you for the baba ghanoush web site. I didn’t know about the male and female differences. I buy eggplants frequently so I’ll be on the look out.
Wow! Anonymous T, I don't remember seeing your earlier post and am enormously flattered that you have a copy of my book on James Joyce's 'Dubliners' on your shelf. And am even more flattered that either you or your wife found it 'sexy' enough to recommend it. I just recently wrote an article about "Diversity in 'Dubliners'" and hope it gets published and gets the journal the same flattering response.
What Tante Nique said: "To me the puzzle was too uneven: either easy clues or a lineup of proper names." Also what Chairman Moe said: "Seems the easy clues come in threes, today". I frequently found myself responding, as I worked the puzzle, "Yeah, okay, so what." OTOH, I liked MIXOLOGIST, MAROONED, and PAST.
TGIF!
Anon T, Kahlua over vanilla ice cream. Yum. My brown cat was named Kahlua, my all time favorite pet.
Don't think I ever heard of EVOO before.
Makes sense. But I never called it that.
~ OMK
Lucina, the NAIL SALON was last Saturday
Re. DNF vs FIR. I Consider asking Betsy (yoga, astrology) or Phil (gaming, computers) OK but I then have to share credit
And thanks Lucina, I now recall Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO).. As OMK pointed out
OMK. It might have made the list @aisles. Spelled with an R it's OK
WC
PM @1:54-6 WAGS are OK. DNFs after GLKUs are required only for Corner Confessions.
OMK - Why would we be offended by a Cockney burro? As for EVOO, it's an ERIE wannabe, but the latter just notched yet another clue with Pelee Island.
Does everyone know that EVOO is Rachel Ray's shortcut for EXRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL?
I've been watching some really good movies on Netflix. Last night it was RED JOAN with Judi Dench and tonight, OPERATION MINCEMEAT with Colin Firth and Penelope Wilton, all of whom are terrific actors.
But, waseeley, aren't shape-shifting donkeys considered rather naughty within the sound of Bow Bells?
~ OMK
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